Dejection: An Ode

Dejection: An Ode, autobiographical poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, published in 1802 in the Morning Post, a London daily newspaper.

When he wrote this poem, Coleridge was addicted to opium, was unhappy in his marriage, and had fallen in love with Sara Hutchinson. Intended originally as a letter in verse to Sara (who is referred to by the anagram “Asra”), it describes his complaints and fears with great emotional intensity. The speaker is afraid that his poetic powers are waning and that he no longer responds intensely to nature. He reveals the disintegration of his marriage and the damaging effects of opium.